5 Takeaways from the 2026 SUN Conference for SyteLine Users

The 2026 SyteLine User Network (SUN) Conference in Atlanta brought together the SyteLine community for several days of learning, reconnecting, and sharing ideas. As always, SUN continues to be one of the best places for SyteLine users, partners, and vendors to exchange real-world experiences and talk about what’s working — and what still needs improvement.

Nimbello was excited to participate again this year as a sponsor and presenter. Our session, “SyteLine Invoice Automation Driven by AI,” had over 80 attendees, and we left the conference with many new connections across prospects, customers, and partners.

Between our session, booth conversations, and discussions with attendees, a few themes came up again and again. Here are five takeaways that stood out from SUN 2026.

1. AI Is Everywhere — But Still Figuring Out What It Means for Their Teams

If there was one topic that showed up throughout the conference agenda, it was AI. Several sessions explored how artificial intelligence could impact everything from analytics to shop floor operations. At the same time, a lot of the conversations we had were very practical.

Many SyteLine users are still asking:  "Is the AI actually working yet, or is it still too early?”

But another question came up just as often:  "Who in our organization actually benefits from it?”

For many manufacturers, AI isn’t just about adding another technology layer. It’s about figuring out how it fits into everyday work across different teams.

For example:

What we’re seeing is that AI works best when it removes repetitive work and helps teams focus on analysis and decision making instead of data entry.

In areas like invoice processing and AP automation, those improvements are already happening. AI-driven solutions can dramatically increase invoice capture accuracy and processing speed compared to traditional OCR-based approaches.

For many organizations, the conversation is shifting from “Should we use AI?” to “Where will it have the biggest impact first?”

2. AP Staffing Challenges Came Up Again and Again

One of the most common topics in conversations with finance teams was staffing. Several companies mentioned that experienced AP staff are retiring and replacing that knowledge isn’t easy. At the same time, invoice volumes continue to grow.

That combination is pushing many organizations to look for ways to automate the repetitive parts of AP so their teams can spend more time focusing on exceptions, reporting, and vendor communication.

For many companies, automation is becoming less about convenience and more about keeping operations running smoothly with smaller teams.

3. Faster Month-End Close Is High on Everyone’s List

Another topic that came up frequently was the pressure to close the books faster. Finance teams want better visibility into their numbers, but manual processes — especially in AP — can slow everything down.

During our session, Patricia Krabacher, Director of Data Intelligence at Orizon Aerostructures, shared a great example of what automation has meant for her team.

She talked about how automation allowed them to focus on clearing a backlog of invoices that had issues, take advantage of early payment discounts, and significantly speed up their month-end close process.

We really appreciated Patricia standing up and sharing her experience with the group. Hearing directly from SyteLine users about what’s working in the real world is incredibly helpful for everyone in the room.

4. The SyteLine Community Works Because People Share

One of the things that continues to make the SUN conference special is the openness of the community.

Throughout the event, we saw users sharing lessons learned, vendors collaborating, and partners talking through ways their solutions can work together.

Those kinds of conversations may seem small, but they make a big difference. When partners communicate and work together, customers end up with better integrations and stronger overall solutions.

That level of collaboration is a big part of why the SyteLine ecosystem continues to stay strong.

5. Real Customer Experiences Still Matter the Most

While the conference included plenty of discussions about new technology, the moments that tend to resonate the most are when customers share their experiences.

Patricia’s comments during our session were a great example of that. Hearing how another SyteLine organization approached automation — and the results they saw — helped bring the conversation out of theory and into something very practical.

Those kinds of stories help other companies see what’s possible and start thinking about how they might approach similar challenges.

Thank You to Everyone Who Joined Our Session

 We want to thank everyone who attended “SyteLine Invoice Automation Driven by AI.” The turnout, questions, and conversations made it a really enjoyable session for our team. 

A special congratulations goes to Jenny Weigand from Fluid Components / The DwyerOmega Company, who won the $250 gift card in our session drawing. 

And again, a big thank you to Patricia Krabacher and the Orizon Aerostructures team for sharing their experience and helping spark a great discussion. 

Additional Resources from SUN 2026

For those who attended the session — or anyone who wants to explore the topic further — we put together a SUN resource page with additional materials from the conference, including:

You can access those resources here: https://www.nimbello.com/sun-content

Looking Ahead to SUN 2027

If you weren’t able to attend this year, the next SUN conference will take place in:

New Orleans, Louisiana
March 1–3, 2027

We’re already looking forward to another year of connecting with the SyteLine community.

If you'd like to learn more about how invoice automation works within SyteLine, you can explore additional information here:  Nimbello + Infor Syteline AP Automation